SRINAGAR: Braving the intense cold and the looming Covid-19 threat, tens of thousands of student across Jammu and Kashmir wrote their examination for the Accounts Assistant in the Panchayati system. For every single position available, more than 85 appeared, making the task of selecting the best a difficult exercise.
“It was an elaborate exercise that was carried out with the help of the district administration across all the 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir,” a senior functionary of the Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board (SSB) said. “At every centre, we had our officials who actually had stationed at the centre for not less than a week to ensure everything goes as per the script.”
The SSB is the nodal agency to make the recruitments for Accounts assistant in Panchayat Raj system. There are 1889 positions available. “In fact, nearly 1.90 lakh candidates had applied but only 1.62 lakh appeared and wrote their examinations.” The examination was smooth and incident-free. Unofficial sources said that against around 92000 candidates who had applied in Kashmir almost 80000 reached the examination centre. In Jammu, almost one lakh candidates had applied but only around 75000 wrote their examinations.
Respective Deputy Commissioners were seen visiting the examination centres set up in all districts.
JKSSB said the Accelerated Recruitment Drive examination was an OMR based objective type written test held for two hours ending 2 pm. The agency had advertised these positions on July 6, 2020, with cut off date of August 31, 2020.
Across 20 districts, there were 750 examination centres with the maximum number of centres at 173 in Jammu and seven in Shopian district. Interestingly this was JKSSB’s first major exercise after the conversion of the state into UT.
“It was a mammoth exercise and I am thankful to all role partners for their enormous cooperation,” JKSSB Chairman said. “Our teams worked relentlessly to conduct the examination in two months from the receipt of application forms. The Deputy Commissioners and their teams extended fullest possible cooperation. The security arrangements were elaborate and smooth movement of traffic was ensured by the Police.”
In a detailed statement that JKSSB issued suggested that a multi-layered structure for supervision was established with one Centre Observer and Centre Magistrate for each Examination Centre, in addition to the Centre Superintendent. “700 Magistrates, 750 Centre Observers and 750 Centre Superintendents were deployed,” it said. “In addition, more than 7918 invigilators were also deployed for smooth conduct of the examination.” The examination was video recorded. Prohibitory orders remained enforced around the examination centres.
“SoPs under Covid19 protocol were also ensured during the conduct of examination,” the Chairman JKSSB said and complemented efforts of all the Deputy Commissioners, District SSPs, and his own staff.
